PETALING JAYA: When it comes to music, some bands are remembered as much for their name as their music and in some cases, the story behind the name is as memorable as the name itself.
It’s been said that one such band is Daft Punk, with the story being that the now defunct duo got their band’s name from a bad review they received early in their music journey.
Is this true?
VERDICT:
TRUE
The story behind Daft Punk and their name is a textbook example of turning lemons into lemonade, as the French tag-team of Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo settled on the name after reading a review of a band they were once in.
Basically, the two were in a band called Darlin with a third member – Laurent Brancowitz – when they received a review by Melody Maker writer Dave Jennings calling the band’s music “daft punky thrash.”
While Brancowitz went on to form the band Phoenix, both Bangalter and Homem-Christo decided to take the negative review and make a positive tune out of it by naming their new outfit Daft Punk.
The duo would wear their iconic helmets, stay mute and mysterious, and release their debut album, Homework, in 1997.
They first found success with the international hit Da Funk, which topped the Billboard dance charts and earned them their first Grammy nomination.
A second No. 1 hit and Grammy nomination followed with Around The World.
They also produced hits like “One More Time”, “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” and “Get Lucky”.
In 2009, they won the best dance recording Grammy for ‘Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger’ as well as best electronic/dance album for their album ‘Alive 2007’.
At the 2014 Grammys, Daft Punk took the spotlight by winning Album of the Year for Random Access Memories – making history as the first electronic act to win the highest honour at the Grammys.
Daft Punk’s journey as a band would ultimately end with the duo going their separate ways in February 2021.
As for why they broke up? In a 2023 interview, Bangalter said that he became increasingly uncomfortable with the converging of technology and creativity, particular with the rise of artificial intelligence and algorithmic processes.
“I love technology as a tool (but) I’m somehow terrified of the nature of the relationship between the machines and ourselves. My concerns about the rise of artificial intelligence go beyond its use in music creation,” Bangalter told news portal ABC.
Sources
https://americansongwriter.
https://www.youredm.com/2019/
https://www.thestar.com.my/
https://www.abc.net.au/listen/
